Irish Celebration: St. Paddy's and Other Festivities

I did it! I experienced St. Patrick's day in Ireland. It was definitely as much of an achievement as it was a festive day out in Galway; not only because I was able to mentally check it off of my bucket list, but because spending the full day out on St. Paddy's day takes a lot of energy. Jenni and I hosted the pre-parade party at our apartment Sunday morning at 10am. 10(ish) friends came over for green pancakes and we left for the Galway St. Patrick's Day Parade around 11. Being in the city center was exactly what I expected and definitely lived up to (and surpassed) my expectations. It seemed as if the entire population was out in Galway, celebrating no matter how old they were. The parade was great - lots of community groups, Irish dancers, musicians, and people dressed up in costumes, stilts, and on floats.
After the parade, we all went to Kennedy's, a small pub where we were able to watch the matches. Some of our friends' parents were here and it was fun to talk to them about their plans for Ireland! We spent the day exploring the different pubs, listening to music, drinking beer, and enjoying the positive, cheery atmosphere of St. Patrick's day.
On Tuesday of this week, our Service Learning and Literacy class threw an Easter fair/party for the primary school children in the homework club that we volunteer for at Scoil Bhride. We've been preparing for the fair for the past month or so. We set up tables in the gym of the school with crafts, games, snacks and activities and the children absolutely loved it. One little boy ran up to a girl, beaming, and exclaimed that it was the best day of his life. The kids were so hyper and most were running around, covered in chocolate, like crazy people, but I loved every second of the chaotic afternoon. I haven't had the chance to hang out with young kids here since I've been volunteering with the secondary school teenagers, so it was a great change and reminded me how much I love working with kids and how excited I am to return to camp this summer. I attended my last homework club last Thursday. It was sad to say goodbye to the secondary schools students that I have gotten to know over the course of the semester. I can only hope that they continue to attend the club and that they are able to remove themselves from the "at risk" category because I know how talented and intelligent they are!